SCBWI Carolinas - A pictorial essay

I'mmmmmmm back.

I know you all have been soooooo worried and lonely without me.

Sorry I was out of pocket.

I was on faculty at SCBWI Carolinas this past weekend. (BTW we are missing Laurent Linn and Elizabeth Dulemba in this pic :( Bummer) It was AWESOME! I had to drop off the blog b/c I had 2 presentations and I had to work on them last week. Hopefully they went well. (If it didn't, DON'T Tell me. If it did, toot my horn all you like!)

BTW - you should be following all of these people's blogs and twitters because they are great resources. I know because I heard them all talk.

I love going to conferences and finding those little nuggets that stick with you esp. when you don't realize it at the time. I love flipping back though notes until you find the ones that grab you - kinda like shopping on the racks at TJMAX for the perfect shirt. You go through a lot of basic everyday stuff, but when you find something - its totally fabulous.

Here are a few that touched me so maybe they will help you:

Alvina Ling (Sr. editor at Little Brown) talked about the difference between Literary vs Commercial. She said, "The difference between commercial and literary is language. We look for the sweet spot in the middle. If you get feedback you are 'too commercial' -it probably means you need work on your language and writing style. If you get feedback that you are 'too literary' - go back and focus on your pacing/plotting." She said you should assess - really scrutinize - every word and look for an even better alternative. Alvina also encouraged writers to query the more junior agents/editors b/c they are more willing to take you on and work with you on your book.

I must admit - I was a little scared (petrified) to meet Alvina. I know fro following her blog and twitter that she's brilliant and also has a list of amazing clients. I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up with her. That she'd be so much smarter than me, it'd be like talking to a 6 year old for her. Ok - so how funny and cute is she? Not only does she love Karaoke (we even broke out into song a few times at the same time, singing the same song) but she also loves food - eating it AND taking pictures of it. You think I'm kidding? Here's a hot of her taking a picture of my delicious chocolate cake. And I had to wait until she was done to eat it!

She's also hilarious and so sweet and thoughtful. Oh yeah and she says "NEBULOUS" a lot. She even joked about it being a new drinking game.

Alan Gratz (author of new book Fantasy Baseball)
talked about Pacing and Plotting. He suggested dividing your book into 3 acts with the middle act being the largest (like 50% of your book). He said "You should always have 2 overarching plots in the book - the external (conquering something outside the character) and internal (growth)."

Alan rocks and is hilarious. One of those naturally funny people. He's smart and everything he says is interesting (well almost :) I loved hanging out with him and learning from him. Sharing tidbits we've learned along the way. I'm bummed he's not still living in
Atlanta b/c I think we could be great friends.

OH yeah and he has a new book coming out that is brilliant. Knowing him, it's probably funny too. Liz is his editor on it and she's as excited about it as he is. Its called FANTASY BASEBALL where a boy plays baseball with characters from literature. It's an adorable book for MG that comes out in March 2011 - so look for it!

Liz Waniewski (editor at Dial) talked about some trends she's seeing in submissions that she thinks are a bit oversaturated. PB - bedtime, monsters, going green, grandparents, love you books, boredom, first day school, and baby bird books. For novels - new kid at new school, popular vs outcast, high fantasy, divorce, sulky teen, ordinary kid discovers powers, paranormal.

Liz is adorable and sassy. She loves sports (esp softball) and fantasy, and sci fi. She is the editor on Incarceron, Lady Bug Girl, as well as several of Alan's books. Its amazing how fun and real editors are b/c we (or is it just me?) tend to see them as old fogies sitting in their offices, slashing through books, laughing in an evil way, while reading War and Peace over and over. Liz is so sweet and a brilliant editor. Not only that but I think if I was in NYC - we'd be buddies (right Liz, tell me we would! If not - just pretend and nod.) b/c we laughed a lot and talked about books - debating and discussing - over an entire dinner. So fun. Alan is very lucky.

Chris Richman (Upstart agent) talked about agent relationships. "If you have an agent (or an editor) that takes on you and your work. Know they really have to love it b/c we have to read the book at least 10 times so we better love it." He gets about 500 queries a week. In almost 2 years - Chris only has 10 clients so he has to connect with each book in a special way.

Now, this is the second or third time I've been on faculty with Chris and he cracks me up. The guys is so down to earth and funny. You should definitely query him b/c he has a heart of gold and seems to know this biz very well. he could list off all 13 imprints at Penguin! That's impressive. Oh yeah and his name is RichMAN not Richmond. That seems to be very important to his family so be sure to get it right when you query him. :) He loves board games - scrabble, balderdash - as well as sports. His cuff links are even scrabble letters. Though I'm not sure if they are worth triple or not.

Elizabeth Dulemba on Picture Books - I don't have any nuggets from Elizabeth's talk because we spoke at the same time. But she's always full of them. Elizabeth Dulemba is one of my favorite people who I never get to see enough of even though she lives in Atlanta. We went to high school together. But even though she was a little older and much cooler - she never holds that against me :) The special thing about Elizabeth is she is always looking out for other people. I even heard her pitching someone else's book to an editor b/c she thought the editor would like it. Seriously! She is so sweet and I'm lucky to have her as a friend.

Laurent Linn Art Director at S&S spoke about art illustrations (bummer I did not get a picture of him :( He's funny and brilliant and also worked on the Muppets, which was fascinating to me.

I love finding the nuggets at conferences

I was lucky enough to get to hang out with all these cool people b/c I was on faculty talking about Author marketing and Branding. I was also pleasantly surprised to have a standing room session with about 50-60 people. So thanks to all the Carolina attendees that took time out to listen to me. It makes me happy knowing I might be helping authors get on their way to promoting themselves and their books.

Somewhere along the way, I met Megan Miranda (author of Fracture - 2012 and repped by the amazing and brilliant Sarah Davies at Greenhouse who also happens to be one of my top 10 recommended agents and people to know) Megan just sold a 2 book deal to Bloomsbury/Walker in June. YAY Megan! You know how you meet someone and you just click? Like you've known them forever. That was Megan. We hung out the rest of the conference and laughed a lot. She's adorable and her book sounds amazing. So look for it Winter 2010. (This is the only pic I had of the two of us us but she doesnt like this pic - I think its so cute of her.)

FRACTURE, in which a girl survives a fall through the ice into a Maine lake and subsequent brain injury, only to discover that she now has a strange and frightening affinity with the dying.

Beth Revis (author of Across The Universe, Jan 2011)
I must say I was a tad nervous/excited to meet Beth. I've known her online for a couple years and we have been routing each other on this journey from the sidelines. At that time, neither of us was even agented and we both only had a few followers. She is also a fellow Bookanista and an occasional email cheerleader to me when I need a pep talk. We met for drinks Sat evening. She had been out of town at a Book show and was sweet enough to come by the hotel to meet me before embarking on a 2 hour drive home. Megan joined (crashed!:) our party and the three of us giggled for about 2 1/2 hours. Beth is just like she is online. Sweet, funny and so deserving of everything she is getting. I truly adore her (now - even more) and am so glad we got a chance to hang out. Not to mention, she gave me an ARC (which is AMAZING BTW!!!!!) of her book, Across the Universe, Jan 2011. Not that I'm bragging or anything :)

And last not certainly not least - Carrie Ryan, author of Forest of Hand and teeth.
Yes you heard me right. The CARRIE RYAN! I had lunch with Megan and Carrie on Sunday at a delish Mexican place before I left. I met Carrie over breakfast a few weeks ago at the Decatur Book Festival. After chatting some, she gave me her card and phone number. Said she'd love to meet me when I come to Charlotte. She too just flew into town - having finished the SmartChicks tour - and got in late Sat night. Let me just say - I have a BIG author crush on Carrie. I love her books, but more importantly - I love her writing. So this last week - when we were texting about meeting up - I was all giddy and jumping around my house. Drove my hubby crazy! Needless to say I was so nervous - ME meeting Carrie Ryan for lunch - WHAT????!! This world is crazy. I dragged Megan (like it was sooooo hard to convince her :) along with me so I didn't look like a total dork. Carrie is so funny and sweet and down to earth. We laughed, shared stories and tips for over 3 hours! I finally had to go b/c I had a 4 hour drive back to Atlanta in the rain. But I'm convinced the 3 of us would have sat there all night if I lived close by - chatting and laughing. I am so glad I met Carrie and got to know her better - again the instant click. (I hope she felt it too :) (Watch, she probably thinks I am a dork and I just don't know it yet :)

What a weekend right?

So try to go to conference, you NEVER know who you will meet or what will happen that can make it all worth while.

For me - I've listed at least 9 reasons here alone.

LILA's Blog Takes Over (Guest Post)

LILA has taken over...

Lisa: How much would you pay to be at SCBWI LA right now?

Laura: *Logs into bank account and cries a little bit* $25. But I think that’s part of the problem.

Lisa: Maybe we should open up some sort of business on the side like Shelli. I mean, she’s at the conference right now.

Laura: YES. I wonder if anyone would pay for celebrity-inspired poetry. I could start that back up.

Lisa: *searches Craigslist* What are you doing next Saturday? There’s a want-ad for a couple face painters for a kids’ birthday party. I can paint a mean unicorn.

Laura: I’m actually busy. Cash for Gold is at the downtown Marriot. I have a few broken necklaces and my class ring.

Lisa: Well, after the birthday party I’ll probably have some writer friends over. I’m gonna host a few SCBWI-inspired workshops here.

Laura: When were you planning on telling me?

Lisa: Um…I mean…I don’t know…I just figured you’d be busy.

Laura: Yeah, well, I am. I mean, Cash for Gold is a popular event. Have fun “honing your craft.”

Lisa: What?

Laura: It’s just…that’s what the SCBWI Conference description says. You’ll hone your craft and take your writing to the next level. Is that what you’re going to be doing in your living room?

Lisa: Probably. I’ll have some snacks too.

What will you be doing while instead of going to LA?

LA Bound - Round 2

Ok I am off to LA this week...yay!

This year, I am much more confident than last year.

1) I know my roommate this time. Kimberly and I are roomies again. Last year, we took a chance and roomed together after only knowing each other through our blogs (weird right?) This time, I know she is not really a hairy man in skivvies. I also know she doesn't snore. So I cant wait to see my wonderful friend. (who i just found out put me in her acknowledgements! That's right - me. Im moving up!)

2) I have gotten over my fear of meeting bloggers in person. It was such an amazing experience last year, that I have nothing to lose.

3) I have plans this time. yes I am soooo popular these days that I have plans already lined up. Some for breakfast, some for drinks (water of course :) and some for dinner. Ok sat night doesnt count b/c its the SCBWI party so EVERYONE is invited. But so far Im meeting Robin Mellom, Gretchen McNeil, Daisey Whitney, Suzanne Young, Stephanie Perkins, Kiersten White, Lisa Schroder (which still freaks me out b/c she's like one of my fav authors!), Lindsey leavitt, Sherrie Petersen, Carolina Valdez Miller, and Casey McCormick (who Im especially excited about meeting b/c she and Corey schwartz were two of my first followers long ago so I have a special place in my heart for them :) and more.

4) I got into the YA Master class. OMG I had been wanting this so bad. But they said I was a few down on the waiting list. So the chances were like 0%. I cant wait to hear Krista Marino, Random House/Delacorte, and her brilliance. editor for THE ALCHEMYST, THE FOREST OF HANDS AND TEETH, THE MAZE RUNNER, and KING DORK. See what I mean?

5) A weekend away. Though I love my kids dearly, I need a small break. A weekend where I am not talking about boo boos, poops, lack of poops, wants, needs. And if I have to watch Backyardigans's Robot one more time, I'll scream.

So even though I wont' be here blogging much - I will come back with some great notes I'll share. I also have some great guest posts coming this week, so give them some love.

See you on the other side. :)

Call to Partay if you going to BEA or LA?

Yay - so it's official. I'm going to BEA and LA. NOt sure how long for BEA but I'm definitely going.

Can't wait.....

I love going to these places where book groupies hang out. The books, the knowledge, the energy, the people.

Mostly because I love all you guys and want to support all my blogger buddies who have books coming out at BEA and hang out with the masters of the business in LA.

Both are so worth the money! Plus BEA - can you say ARCS!

My goal is to set up some kind of happy hour at each place for bloggers or tweeters (or blogger/tweeter groupies :)

A Blogger Blowout. A Tweeter Throng (not to be confused with thong - look it up! ":)

So tell me, who is going to BEA and who is going to LA?

Leave me a comment so if/when I plan a Blogger Bash at each - you will be on the list.

PS ON a side note - my new business (marketing, book publicity) site is now up! Check it out!

The Magic of a Southern Breeze

NOTE: Fabulous Follower Winner Prizes went out today. I'm working packaging up the Mardi Gras Prizes tomorrow and will email you when it goes out!

This past weekend I went to the Spring Mingle for the Southern Breeze Region (SCBWI). It was here in Atlanta.

I must say at first I was not sure if I was going to go. I had alot of things I needed to do and I did not know if I could handle a weekend of writing. In a way, I felt like I needed a weekend - away from writing.

Not to mention, my "normal" possee was not going. I was going this one alone. Don't get me wrong, I knew people there and love everyone in my Region. But having the comfort of a few girls that know me, my journey, and my deepest fears and dreams is nice when you enter a room of 150 people.

I'm not very good in a large room. I'm a bit shy, definitely an introvert, and I really stink at small talk. I usually resort to bad jokes and probably put my foot in my mouth at least twice.

I'll even tell you all a secret.

Part of me kinda wondered if I would learn much. I mean, I have an agent so the agent talk would probably not apply to me and wondered if the sessions would help me at the stage I'm at in my writing process. (this embarressing because I have so much to learn! I dont' know what I was thinking~)

Anyway, I went to Springmingle.

And am so glad I did.

I think the BEST thing about the conference was hanging out and getting to know Jennifer Jabaley and Kristin O'Donnell Tubb. These girls are definately soul sisters of mine (I hope they thin so :). I adore them and can't wait to see them again. They made me laugh, listened as I cried, and gave me advice and words of encouragement that I needed at this stage in my writing journey. I felt like I had known them for years and found myself sharing things that I NEVER share with anyone outside my normal friend circle. (and most of my friends have known me for at least 10 years.) If I'd hung out with my normal "crew" - I would have missed kicking off these great friendships. And that would have been a true loss. Check out Kristin (author of Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different) at her blog/twitter and Jennifer (author of Lipstick Apology) at her blog!

I also hung some other great people. Karen Strong, Sheri Dillard, and Heather Montgomery (who knows everything there is to know about how to be safe during a earthquake!!)

The next thing that was Sooooo worth it was meeting and hearing Josh Adams from Adams Literary. He was funny and open and shared some secrets to agenting that helped me feel even more confident in my agent and her process. It also gave me critical insight into the submission/agenting/publishing world that we writers don't get to see very often. If any of you are looking for an agent, be sure to read what he is looking for and query him because he rocks!!! (from what I can tell, he also kicks ass and takes names for his clients).

Another highlight was seeing Cheryl Klein again. I was on faculty with her at MidSouth in the fall and had dinner/drinks with her. For those who don't know who she is...she is the continuity editor at Arthur Levine for Harry Potter. Not only is she the sweetest but she is BRILLIANT! She talked on the 22 steps to revising that gave so many great suggestions (and a few crazy ones :) - that my head was spinning. I had to skip the next session because I was going through my book in my head and figuring out more things I wanted to start working on. She also did an amazing discussion on character development. Check out her amazing talks and blog!

And then of course, Jane Yolen, bestselling author of Owl Moon and How Do Dinosaur Say Good Night? She is funny and brilliant and honest. But most of all, she is real and tells it how it is. She had ridiculous insight into the industry and a perspective that only someone who has been in the industry over 30 years could, which I guess is why her blog is called Telling The Truth.

For those of you who have not joined SCBWI, you are truly missing out on a great experience, on great friends, on learning more than you can imagine, and on finding a place where you truly belong. With writers. Writers at every stage. Writers that care about you. Writers that love books. When you walk into an SCBWI conference, it is a pool of magic.

2010 SCBWI New York Notes from across the Net

Hi guys.

I've been perusing and reading some great notes from the NYC conference. I thought I would lists out a summary of what I have found. Some of this is on the SCBWI Team Blog, but a lot of these I found on Twitter/ random blogs.

Jane Yolen

Write Up My Life

Berrie Green


Libba Bray

Beware of the Hot Pterodactyl

Story Makers

Libba Bray on Writing

Writing as an Extreme Sport

Libba Bray on Writing as a Sport


Jim Benton - Illustrator

Compulsive Creator


Viral Marketing/Promotion - Jennifer Bailey, Blogger & Graphic Designer

Jenn Bailey on Promotion

Viral Marketing


TV and New Media - Eddie Gamarra Agent, The Gotham Group

Your book as a Movie


Picture Books - Allyn Johnston, Vice President & Publisher, Beach Lane Books

Real Deal about Picture Books


Writing Fantasy - Arianne Lewin Editor, Disney/Hyperion

Writing Fantasy

Arianne Lewin on Fantasy


Literary Novels - Alvina Ling Senior Editor, Little Brown

SCBWI Aving Ling


Visual StoryTelling - Laurent Linn Art Director, S&S Books for Young Readers

SCBWI Laurent Linn


NonFiction - Brenda Murray Editor, Scholastic

Brenda on NonFiction


Contracts - Edward Necarsulmer Agent, McIntosh and Otis

Exciting world of Contracts


Writing For teens - Ben Schrank Publisher, Razorbill

Writing for Teens

Ben Schrank on writing


Series Fiction - Francesco Sedita, VP & Publisher, Grosset & Dunlap


Miscellaneous sessions: Intensives, Q&A Panel, Signings

Post intensives and Q&A

Networking NIght

Conference summary

Autograph Party

Agents on the Market


Other sessions

Sheldon Fogelman Agency

What's selling



General Round UPs

SCBWI Blog

Winter Conference

NYC SCBWI

Round UP

SCBWI Conference 2010

Conference High Points

Surviving NYC Weekend

Publishing tips from NYC

Conference Wisdom

Summary:
Part 1 - Friday
Part 2 - Saturday
Part 3 - Saturday
Part 4 - Sunday


Hope this helps!

Friday Round-Up (thoughts and marketing posts)

NYC Conference! Who's in?

Raise your hand if you are going to NYC SCBWI Conference. Me too! (hopefully:) Libba Bray is the keynote speaker - that alone is worth the cold, the money, and the taxi rides. Don't you think? OK so maybe you could buy all her books for much cheaper (evidently especially if you go to the devil stores of Walmart or Target) or watch her vlog for free.

But to see her in person and maybe steal/borrow/suck up some of her writing brilliance: priceless.


Mediocre Mom to the rescue! Halloween Drama Solved!

My daughter's costume was lost in mail this week. Talk about devastation! Try telling a 5 year old "I'm sorry but you may not be able to be Cheetah Cat Girl" Then I got "the look" - you know the one with a big puffed out lip and alligator tears clinging to the ledge of her eyelids. Broke my heart.

As if I dont' feel guilty enough, to drive the stake further into my heart - she mutters: "It's OK mom. I don't have to be Cheetah Cat Girl. I guess I can just go as a regular old Cat." (So sweet right?)

But just KILL me why don't yah!

So what did I do?

No!!! I did not make one! That would make me a Super Mom. I'm just Mediocre Mom. Not to mention, I am soooooo not crafty!

Besides, if I was so super - I WOULD NOT HAVE WAITED UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. I would have bought it months ago and had it dry-cleaned and pressed.

My solution? I paid 50$ on overnight shipping for a 30$ cat costume. And lucky for me - it arrived today. Can't wait to see her face and the obvious words that will follow: You're the best mom in the world!

And she will be the best Cheetah Cat Girl - wrinkles and all.

PS: An update - after all that - the other one just came too - GRRRRRR! Anyone need a Cheetah costume, unfortunately its too small for me :)

Marketing Round Up

Here are some "spooktacular" marketing posts for the week. Happy Halloween!

Author Websites- What not to blog - You start blog and wonder what to write about. Here's are some tips on what NOT to do!

What's next in book promotion? - A man using airports as a book tour. All times are based on flight schedules! :)

Book Promotion Humor - A recent (and very funny) New Yorker piece by Ellis Weiner (wait don't laugh yet!) on book promotion has zoomed around the web.

15 places to start a group online - There's another aspect you can use to promote your book and your identity as an author. Instead of looking only for existing social hangouts, why not create one?

The Katy Challenge - My first school visit presentation was speaking to a group of 300 school kids—one of my biggest crowds ever. Here's the surprising thing: it was a piece of cake!

SCBWI Midsouth Conference (Part 2 of 2)

Cheryl Klein - Character Development (BTW she posts all of her talks on her web site.

"Your characters should literally change the world, especially the one you created."

Know the point of your book and who is your reader.

Once you know that - everything should support and not detract from that purpose and readership

Ask yourself "What am I trying to do here?"

ESSENSE OF CHARACTERS

1. Figure out the facts of your character - age, gender, social status, marital status, where do they live.
2. Know their Internal qualities - personality traits, ethics, values, morals, self awareness. Look for qualities that can be contradictory to cause conflict.
3. Create external qualities - appearance, descriptions, how they see the world or other people. If you use first person - know what she sees in others. manner of speaking (mannerisms), set your character apart with a few characteristics (nose tapping, rub hair across lips when they think). Watch people around you.
4. History or backstory - you need to know it even if you don't tell or show it. Only use the things that are relevant to the story. (is if it is a book about competitive nature, tell us her volleyball scores etc). You need to know backstory between characters too. If she has a best friend - how long, why, how are they together.

Every story should have a "tater tot" moment - where something happens to begin the sympathy.

ACTION

1. Desire - what a character wants. create double desire - a conflict between two wants where they have to choose one over the other. which one is more important and what is the consequence of going against the other one.
2. Attitude/Energy - how do they relate to others, life, a situation, death, fights etc. are they an optimist or pessimist? Try journaling as the character to find voice. Must balance + and - energy -For example: the pessimist girl who is funny. The optimist who is annoying. Create a story conversation - a) what is said, b) what is unsaid, c) what can't be said.
3. Action - Desire plus attitude. if a character has a desire there must be follow through that is relevant to book. plunk character down in different situations in your mind to decide what they would DO in that situation. Lack of action from a protagonist is one of the top 10 reason why she rejects manuscripts. either its impossible to accomplish or she wont do anything. There must be a reason for inaction.

You must increase the "action quotient" - the reader must see things happen. 1) character can act out against something 2) add in desire where she can take action. (lisa yee does a good job)

3 questions to answer:
1) what keeps him alive?
2) what is his pain?
3) what is his name?

Every character is a hero in their own story.

Secondary characters must not be over played. They must be relevant to the story and plot. If there is not a need - don't use them.

most important elements are - honesty (must be honest with what happens) and time (must be the proper pacing)

let characters words and actions speak for themselves. Try not to stop them. Wind your characters up and let them go. You are not your characters' mother. You are their observer. Allow them to make mistakes and suffer the appropriate consequence.

Cheryl loves characters that make mistakes and show pain.

Activity - character outlines

• boy or girl
• Male of female
• age
• what is the family like?
• where do they live?
• what is their name?
• what are the internal qualities? external?
• what keeps him alive?
• How are they emotionally interesting?
• what is their pain?
• what do they want?
• what is their attitude?

6 strategies

1. make characters new
2. give character a cause
3. take action and show energy
4. put them in anticipated pain
5. surround with unlikeable characters
6. be able to feel with and kill your character at any moment. don't get too attached so that you hold them back.

Caroline Cooney - write at full speed

writing activity - write without thinking.

• use pen and paper - not computer. because you always have 10 minutes somewhere
• fill out the character outline above....
• write a line about setting
• write a sentence about character
• bring in another character
• bring in conflict
• change their location
• what do they see?
• write first sentence to 2nd chapter.

writing tips

• Everyone can write a page a day
• next day - reread what you wrote
• write while you are in car waiting
• answer who, what , where , when and why at everything to dig deeper into story
• every sentence should give you another one

It was fabulous!

SCBWI Midsouth Conference (Part 1 of 2)

This weekend, I am at the Midsouth conference. It is amazing as most conferences are. Here are some of the things I took away from today:

Caroline Cooney - tips on writing character and great stories

• character has to be sympathetic
• characters without friends - know that emotion takes over the plot line
• adults have the habit of taking over action
• must make the logical thing illogical to do
• if you have a conflict - you must know what emotion it is attached to
• every conflict you create takes away from something - be sure it does not take away from main plot line
• If you are stalled - visualize a scene as if on stage as a film director - what do you see, where are you, who is with you
• stay alert to ideas around you and how you can transform the into books
• names matter - cannot have similar names
• action story - needs to have a deadline in the story
• speed counts - learn to write fast
• first draft are always bad
• 3rd person is always better than 3rd person and present tense
• you can do anything for 15 minutes - force yourself to to write, set a time, take paper and pen with you so you utilize every minute. don't wait to get in front of your computer
• books are like pottery - some come out misshaped, some cracked, luckily with books, you can always reshape them

Chris Richman (Upstart Crow Agency) - the agent relationship

A great agent:

• shares your writing
• are the gateway to editors - trust yours will do the right thing
• control the money - editors pay agents who take their royalty and then pay you
• should beleve in your work wholeheartedly
• looks for more than just a sale, looks at your career, writing style
• keeps in contact and keeps you up to date
• know trends
• knows what editors are looking for
• buffer between writer and editor - good news comes from author, bad news comes from agent
• tries to sell your work
• should not charge a reading fee
  

Some agents don't like to tell writers where they are subbing until the book is out. they know the editors and have built relationships. If you take on an agent, you need to trust they are on same page as you and are doing the right thing

ask your agent...

• what is your percentage?
• do you revise? if so how much? what about for this book?
• how many clients do you have?
• Can you speak to any of their clients?
• what genres do you rep?
• who will you sub to?
• where do you see my career?

The original excitement can wane. If things go bad, talk it out first. give your agent a chance to improve before you dump them.

Q&A

• you do not want more than one agent unless you need one for a different genre outside children's.
• when i revise, i need to get the book to a point where I think it will sell. that does not necessarily mean perfect
• some agents are becoming more promotional b/c money for marketing is dwindling

Tomorrow I will post some key takeways from the amazing Cheryl Klien and Caroline Cooney's writing activity.

Randomness

Marketing Muse:

Have you heard about Ning.com It is like Facebook, but you join groups instead of individuals. You can search by keyword.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to those of you who emailed me saying you tried to nominate me for the Blogger Appreciation Week. (that was so sweet!) Unfortunately, the nominations closed last week. But honestly, it was all the thoughts that counted the most. No really! :)

Speaking of great blogs - we all follow some great ones. Don't know how I missed this, but at the end of May Writer's digest posted their list of best web sites for 2009. Check it out - there are some great resources. They have also opened up there 2010 nomination process for 101 best web sites for Writers. You can send comments and nominations for next year’s list to writersdigest@fwmedia.com with “101 Websites” in the subject line (deadline is Jan. 1, 2010).

Girl's Night Out

Saturday was definitely a writer day.

• Met up with old critique group members for coffee.
• Spoke at the Atlanta Schmooze - on what you ask??? What else? Marketing! ;) Nathaniel (Master Writer of The Orgami Master) spoke about his approach to picture books.
  
• Had dinner with Sheri Dillard, Elizabeth Dulemba, and Nathaniel
  

What a better way to cap off the night - a double signing with Jennifer Jabaley (Lipstick Apology) and Ginger Rue (Brand New Emily).

Here are a few notes on Jennifer:

Lipstick Apology is about a 16 year old girl, Emily, loses her parents in a plane accident. The media finds a note written on a tray table in lipstick that says: "Emily I am so sorry." Emily is forced to move to NY with her aunt and tries to recover from her loss.

She got her idea for Lipstick Apology from her sister. When her sister was leaving her kids (and flying) for the first time on vacation. She kept calling Jennifer and giving her instructions "in case the plane went down" (I've done this before!!!!!) Jennifer joked with her hubby and said, "watch my sister's plane go down. She'll probably take out her lipstick and write: "kids need to be in bed by 7" on the tray table. Jennifer's hubby said - "that would be a good book". Jennifer wrote it on a post-it and put it in a drawer. She found the post it when she was moving 3 years later.

She writes her books out long hand (yes you heard that right) and then transcribes to the computer.

She found her agent through the traditional way of submitting into the slush pile.

She felt the hardest part of the book was balancing a serious topic of grief and loss with humor.

She started writing during the 2 hours her baby napped. "if you want it bad enough, you will make/find the time."

Here are a few notes on Ginger:

Brand New Emily is about a 14 year old girl who is not popular at school. Emily decides to hire a New York publicist to makeover her image. Emily returns to rule the school all while discovering who she really is.

She used to do some journalism for celebrity magazine. She had to do an interview with Country music singers. She felt like there was not much difference between them so she talked with their publicists, who gave her insight into celebrity image makeovers. Ginger thought it would be interesting to use that in a teen book.

She partnered up with Bonne Bell/Lipsmackers, who provide her with lipsmackers at her signings and promote her book online. Her character, Emily, uses that makeup to improve her image.

She just signed on with Tricycle for another book.

Thanks to Bryan who just gave me a Literary Blog award :)

Here's the rules.
1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might not know.
5. Nominate other Bloggers.
6. Post links to the blogs you nominate.
7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

I'm going to switch it up.
Here are my favorite 7 things about other people :) Who is scared yet?

Just kidding!

7 things about me:

1) I have a 15 year old Jack Russell Terrier (or otherwise known as terror). He's getting old and I dread the day he goes. He's been through so much with me and is part of my family.

2) I was kicked in the chest by a BABY deer when I was camping because I tried to sneak up behind it in the woods. OK fine, I was planning on riding it. Kids - don't try this at home. It hurts.

3) I drove a huge blue and white van in high school until my senior year.
I tried so hard to make it cool. Unfortunately my dad did too. He added big red dice to the rear view mirror and ordered a airbrush license plate for the front that said USS Johannes. I learned thin that if you pretend you're cool, sometimes people forget your not.

4) My daughter has a rarish VSD heart condition. She is fine now but the first 6 months were scary. I have a panic attack every time she has heart burn :(

5) My favorite drink is a martini - not just any martini. Greygoose vodka straight up, extra, slightly dirty with extra olives. Yum! This is from my days of reading Ian Fleming books.

6) The first car I bought with my own hard-earned money was a 1995 Jetta. Unfortunately I had to give up my 1992 red Toyota hatchback Celica because it had no air, no radio (had to drive with a boom box on the seat - yes I said boom box!!!) and every morning I had to put in a quart of oil. Needless to say, I only got 500$ for it which was more than I expected.

7) I am insecure about my arms. I was a professional gymnasts from age 3 until age 10. This means in middle and high school, I had a tendency to resemble a small linebacker. I have always had broad shoulders and muscular arms. This is not a problem now b/c since I'm older, it works, but back in school my cheerleading squad (yes I was a cheerleader! why? my parents made me try out. I really just wanted to sing/play guitar) always made me the base because I was so strong. *sigh* I cannot watch cheerleaders today without getting a bit weepy ;)

I'm going to recognize a few writers in my posse:

Chandler Craig at Fumbling with Fiction
Gretchen Mcneil at Sean Chai
Jen K Bloom
Marissa Burt at Rummaging Reads
Jen Hayley
Lisa Rondinelli Albert
Shana Silver

What I learned in LA (outside of the amazing knowledge I have already shared)

• Friends you have met online are just as important to you as your friends in person. They know you so well. (heartfelt shout out to Kim, Katie, Lindsay, and SF Hardy)

• I love blogger buddies, they are even cooler in person. (shout out to Sherri, Lisa S, Christy, Elizabeth, Jess, Heather, Amanda, Suzanne, Jay, Shana, Jolie, Cindy P, Tammy Sauer, Cynthea Liu, LK)

• New friends that you connect to in a special way, that laugh at the same things you do, and that you will never forget are hard to find but when you find them, you know they are forever (shout out to Stephanie, Tyler, Bill, Graehm, and Paul)
  

• Agent and editors are people too. They can be cool if you let them. (special shout out to Marietta and Sarah!)

• I am a writer at heart. Always have and always will be.
  

• I will go to LA as much as I can. It is so worth it. IN more ways than I can possibly put into words. To be in a room full of book worms is very rewarding and now I know - I am not weird! Ok wait. I am weird so I guess I learned - you all are weird too!

• I have a short - no very short - attention span.

• My butt flattened from sitting in those chairs. I swear it is about an inch wider.

• Never wear your heels to the food court - one word - blisters. price you pay for looking good!

• SF Hardy takes good notes so I dont have to. Hope she lets me copy hers ;)

• Sometimes you learn more in the lobby than in the classrooms.

• Egmont's profits go to children's charities. They are technically a not-for-profit publisher.
  

• SCBWI rocks!

• I am inspired to write more.

• It is possible to sell a book and get published all within 6 months! (believe it! t happened per Wendy Loggia)

• Alot of writers are funny!

• The boys bathroom is a whole different universe that us girls will NEVER understand. nor would we want to (which of course would only be for a boy book research)

Pure brilliance!

SCBWI LA - Day 3

Today was a fun day! duh! I'll post pictures next week b/c Ive been using Katie's camera :)

I skipped the first session for a quiet coffee and laughs with Lindsay leavitt and Lisa Schroeder. I haven't changed. I do not feel cool unless I skip something. It's leftover from my school days. It makes me fee like a rebel! :)

Highlights:
1) I tripped in front of 921 people and screamed in a large room. This is not very surprising if you knew me.
2) I saw a man try to hand a manuscript to an agent. when she would not take it - he opened her laptop and put it inside.
3) after an editor said, " I do not take zombie books or board books" a guy asked this question: "Do you take zombie board books?" do we not get rejected enough that we have to ask for a double rejection?
4) someone saying to me - You look so cute in your blog picture (what not in person? :()
5) someone saying to me - your funny in person (what not on my blog?)


Holly Black - Fantasy

• Only a small combination of fear and awe separates fantasy and horror
• get the concrete stuff down - the real stuff must be real even though the fantastical elements surround it
• know your world - think about rules, system, formal policies vs informals, how does your world work. are their laws?
• World building - fantasy can resemble historical fiction b/c you have to convince readers must go to a place they have never been or where they can never go back, they feel like they've been there.
• Two types of logic - day logic - there are rules and everything is the same. You get the same results, it is a science; night logic - rules are unpredictable. you must know your rules.
• Two types of magic - closed magic is magic that is hidden (harry potter - real world doe snot know about wizard world); open magic - it is a part of life (Trueblood - everyone knows about vampires.)
• Fantasy has two story archs - fantastical and human. Human stories starts earlier and ends later than the fantastical story.

Elizabeth Law - Egmont

• Don't be afraid to talk to editors and agents
• Follow your strengths when you write - not the market or what you WANT to write. If you are good a PBs then don't do historical fiction o

Egmont

• 100 years in UK with no american branch
• new - the next Bloomsbury and Candlewick
• non profit publishing house - all profits go back into business and children's charities. (unique set up)
• children's book industry is stable and growing.
• competition among writers is tiff - alot of great writers out there
• use books as inspiration not a formula that you copy
• know why your book can sell and what the pitch is
• book scan - shows how book did in $
  

5 Tips

1. Social networking - publishers interested in social networking to reach readers. Get online and start your platform now. However, if you are not writing, you are online too much.
2. Voice - Voice is not enough in a story. You must HAVE a story.
3. Strengths - better to do what you do well than what you THINK you do well
4. Take control of career. It is ok to follow up with submissions after reasonable amount of time. usually 3 months.
   
5. don't complain - especially online. If i see something negative about someone, I wont take it

Goofs

1. don't write to trends. write what you are passionate about
2. dont change the age of your character to fit the market.
3. don't be afraid to talk to your agent.
4. take control of career

E.B. White quote: I wake up with the desire to improve the world or enjoy the world, this makes it hard to plan my day.

Richard Peck - Golden kite lunch

Sat next to Marietta from Nancy Galt agency. She was hilarious. I highly recommend her as an agent. down to earth and passionate. she is looking for all kids books especially if they have passion.

• Don't be afraid to take risks, we can not be fired, we are already unemployed.
• Kids create their own secret worlds the minute parents turn their backs, why not give them books.
• stories are roadmaps to show the illiterates out of town
• we are getting older, but somehow our readers stay the same age.
• all stories turn on an epiphany - when everything changes and you know you can't go back.
• You wonder if there is a boy down the hole if you can safe him. Can the story help? That is what we do, that is who we are.

Frank Portman - King Dork
(panel with his agent Steven Malk and editor Krista Marino/RH)

• He was a musician.
• Steven Malk heard him play and thought his songs were funny.
• His song titles include: Even Hitler has a girlfriend, King Dork etc
• Steven approached him about writing a book and invited Krista to hear him play.
• he wrote 30 pages of king dork and Steven sold it to Random House
• he is brilliant at marketing.
• Humiliation is key in promotion
• use all your contacts
• build relationships
• market your own books/be creative
• figure out who would like your work
• always be nice, friendly and approachable

Main points:

• take from everywhere in your life
• read a ton of books
• market your books hard
• find editor that gets you and your voice - they need to love it.
• put in time and beat the streets
• blog!!!
• use your connections
• remember the process is collaborative - don't be afraid to revise

Since this is the last night, we all went to dinner. me and katie, SF Hardy, Kimberly, Paul, Bill Cochran, Tyler, and Stephanie - great asian place with waterfalls.

hung outside and laughed until about 10:30 our time.

I leave tomorrow at 2pm for airport.

PS this conference is worth the money - if not for the classes and energy. But for the networking and meeting people.

PSS I met two editors who want to see my work when it goes on sub! yay!

Day in LA - Day 2

Today seemed like a longer day.

I think it was because I was not focused on my book so much.

Started out with a coffee meeting with Southern Breeze Region - shout out to Donna and Jo! :)

Met Sherry (Write it out) and Katie for breakfast.

First session was Karen Cushman -

Nuggets of Brilliance:
"I wrote because I couldn't dance."
* To focus on your writing, you need to:
* You have to show up - take time to fantasize, give power to your thoughts. Be present everyday.
* Pay attention - look around, stuff yourselves with sounds, words, images, conversations. Focus on what you love or hate - those bring out the deepest emotions and you get an honest reaction. Read blogs, interviews, books to learn about the market
* You must tell the truth - look for facts, do your research to add believability
make people connect through the realness of your book

Break out with Ari Lewin (Hyperion) - Acquisition process
1) read submissions. Agented only.
2) Take work to Editorial Board - everyone in department. She pitches book. Discuss book. what awards can they potentially get. what is the audience. what is the hook? when is best to put it out - what can we tie book promotion to (dates, events time of year etc).
3) Goes to Acquisitions - includes all publishers, sales, marketing and publicity. They can make or break a sale, especially in this economy. Goes in with flap copy to pitch. At this point, she does not yet call agent b/c she does not want to tip them off to any possible offer. They do not like auction situations. Fill out acquisitions form - what is the sell sentence.
4) Money - how many will sell. advance is based on that. Don't want advance too high so author can earn out advance.
5) Gives offer to agent - negotiates terms
6) sometimes takes right on, sometimes I do a noncontractual agreement which states what I think needs to be done to book for me to acquire it. If author agrees, they work on revisions with hope I will like it in the end.
7)Contract Request Form. Fill in for contract that has been accepted. Fill in subrights, rights, Lewin only gets 1 out of 7 manuscripts for various reason.

Earn out formula- retail price X royalty X # copies

Fyi on top contract clauses:
Look for option clause, high discount royalties, foreign rights, audio rights, Out of print clause.

Blogger buddies here is who I have met so far:
heather Hanson
Amanda Morgan
Cindy Pon
Cynthea Liu
Tammy sauer
LK Madigan
Lisa Shroeder
Shana Silverman
kathleen duey
Bill cochran
Christy Raeke
Jill Corogan
Suzanne Young
jess Jordon (finally :)
Sherry Peterson

Anica Rissci - Simon Pulse/Krista Marino (Delacorte) - Teen trends

*long series going away - buy very view open series; usually focus on trilogy, 2 books, quartets
* teens follow authors today, not series
* teens like reality-based but in fantastical ways (example Hunger Games, Twilight)
* No more Bitch Lit - dropping name brands on book
* teens like dark books right now. Not as much funny stuff.
* advances for large books staying high. advances for their authors - going down.
* saving money by doing digital galleys and digital catalogues
* Galleys cost 3 times more than books to make.

Wendy Loggia - Delacorte - 7 reasons she rejects a book
We have to be mean to be nice.
1) good writing but no story. No plot. heavy on telling.light on action. It is not EZ to reject a great manuscript when you see potential.
2) too similar to other novels on list or has worked on in past. If it is similar - it must be better.
3) unsure of who target audience/reader is? who do I market the book to?
4) If writer seems difficult or negative. Googles to find blogs and see if they are bashing fellow editors, agent friends, any of her books, authors, negative reviews or complaining about process. writers who belabor process. do not share anything about number of rejections online. If I know 20 houses have passed, I wonder why I should not pass.
5) love concept but cannot connect to voice
6) submitting too early - before work has been done
7) will not stand out on list.

I went outside and read with a glass of wine. Talked to Sarah Davies for a while.

Went to Blue Moon Party. Best costume went to an alien octopus (don't ask). Other costumes: blue man group, astronauts, aliens, blue butt

SCBWI LA - in a day

Book Update: Bright is backin hadns of Awesome Agent. Cross your fingers! I feel its done - I rewrote beginning and ending in addition to edits _ added material resulting in an additional 12,000 words. Now tween book is at 63,000.

Blogger Update: so far have met Christy (Juvenescance), sherry solvang(write it now), suzanne young, shana silverman, lisa schroeder. someone told me Jess jordon was here but we havent seen her yet.

It is 10 pm (LA time) and our day really just ended.

Went for breakfast this morning with Lindsey Leavitt, Katie Anderson, Sarah Francis Hardy, and Kimberly Derting. (SFH had the best egg pizza - yum! and LL had a tower of sticky buns!! Yum yum! Me? the healthy oatmeal boring. Tomorrow I am going all out :)

The morning started off with Sherman Alexie, author of ...Diary of Part Time Indian...

he was so funny. But under all the humor was a guy who turned his painful childhood into a dream existence. A kid with brain damage, bad vision, poor, lived on an Indian reservation. A kid who found a way to escape from his hard childhood with books.

Here are some of my "Ah ha" moments (for more detail you can go to scbwi's blog.)

"when you give a kid a book he naturally identifies with than you expect him to connect with it. But when you give a kid a book that is outside his normal comfort zone, and he finds a way to connect with it - that is when you begin changing the world."

"The power of books is amazing. They find a way yo the people that need them the most. Whether its 1 person or 100,000. Every book has the destiny to change at least one person."

"As a children's author - you must accept responsibility of writing for a young audience; prepare to be lonely because it is hard work, and know when you write it - it will impact people."

Next was David Weisner (Flotsam)

"He talked about the films and books that impacted his illustrations and writing. He showed a journey of how he got to Flotsam. How all of his books led up to that one."

"Writing is a personal journey. We don't write with a certain kid in mind. We write from our kid. From our hearts, experiences, and memory. Kids just happen to be touched by them."

"Think about all the stuff that you thought was cool when you were a kid. There is a story in each thing that stood out to you."

Ingrid Law - Savvy

Write with creativity and courage
Read the book "Spunk and bite"
Push voice further than you thought possible.
exercise: write a crazy sentence - then ask questions. This is how Savvy started - one crazy sentence and a bunch of questions.
Trust your instincts, be wild and playful, have a beginner's mind, be courageous, take risks, and don't be afraid to break the rules - you can always rein them in
pretend you are always a tourist and see things with a new eye.
be sure to look up when you walk around so you can observe the nuances of life

Sarah Davies - Greenhouse Literary (love her!!!)

world rights - all languages in world
world english rights - english language anywhere in world
hard to see Us fiction in UK. less space for YA market

Ways to spread international buzz:
Scouts - represent foreign publishers
Publishers marketplace - sign up and watch foreign right sales
understand foreign market
Pub weekly features on international authors
Bologna Frankfurt conferences/book fairs

Advice for global sales
consider world when you write
have market in mind
middle grade needs strong sales
YA fiction with unique voice and premise

Audio Books
1) primary - when they exploit own rights
2) secondary - sells rights to someone else

what helps international sales
global appeal
unique voice
Non fiction and PB do not sell as well as MG/YA
unusually ideas
awards/sales figures
love young boy fiction
concepts and setting that transcends cultures

see you tomorrow!

I'm here!

Just got into LA!

Whew my plane did not go down so I have to send a shout out to my guardian angel :)

Left this morning about 8am. Got here at noon. Who loves a time change! (I do! At least today I do!)

Luckily it was after my kids left with hubby for camp so the goodbye was not traumatic (for me that is). All the kids care about is if I am bringing them back anything. Daughter's request: ice cream sandwich (uh not going to happen) and son's - same as usual (truck. Oops A big truck!) My hubby always brings back great gifts for kids when he travels so I'll have to upstage him (not that it is a competition :) Since my hubby always seems to bring me either airport chocolate or free shampoo - who knows what he will get. ;)

Now that I am here - i've realized the following: I forgot my sunglasses so I had to buy 15$ pair. (how is that possible when going to LA?), forgot my camera! (again, how is that possible) and forgot my iPod (no music for 5 days?). I guess I was too busy packing 10 pairs of shoes (dont' ask. I will say I blame Katie at Plot this!) and 10 outfits (yes for 5 days. Again Katie's fault). hey if Delta is going to make me pay 15$ for a bag - I might as well take all I can. I think my bag weighed in at 51 lbs (*sigh*) so I had to throw out my contact saline solution to get it under the weight limit. (another sacrifice for fashion) Sad I know but at least I'll have wardrobe choices (I don't know if I said this but it is KATIE's fault! ;) Besides, for those who know me, I am forever spilling stuff on my shirt - coffee, salsa, or ketchub. It's true. So this is safer.

Flight was uneventful except the normal stuff - screaming baby, man in front leaning too far back threatening to kill my new MAC (yeah you heard me and no I refrained from taking him out), and 3.5 peanuts. No wonder I'm full.

BTW - why is it when you travel you feel hungrier than normal? Is it the altitude?

I think I saw the Grand Canyon from the window but its hard to tell at 30,000 feet up. I know it was a mountain though :)

Got here in the allotted time of 4 hours and 2 minutes (could they not just round up?).

So what have I seen so far? no agents to befriend, no editors clamoring for my book, and certainly no stars. *sigh*. I did see one of my regional advisors!!!! woot woot!! (Hey Donna!)

Now, I am sitting outside in shaded deck, overlooking pool, pretending to work (on free wireless!!!) so I don't look like a loser, and waiting for someone/anyone to recognize me from my blog photo or college mug shot - whichever comes first - beggars can't be choosers right? (Just kidding people! :)

I'm excited to get started and waiting for Kimberly to arrive in a couple hours. Ready to bask in brilliance, Ready to enjoy some time away from hustle and bustle of kids/schedules. Ready to meet new friends.